Waiver Wire Targets 2016 Week 6

By Armando Marsal

The waiver wire can be your best friend in fantasy football. Especially in times like these where injuries are piling up and teams are on bye. That being said, let’s waste no more time and take a look at some players you may want to target on waivers.

Quarterback

Alex Smith – Chiefs: Smith is coming off of his bye week and has a favorable matchup against a division rival. The Raiders are giving up 338 passing yards per game and have surrendered 12 touchdowns to quarterbacks this season. Since joining the Chiefs, Smith has played solid against the Raiders. In his last six games against them, he is averaging 210.7 passing yards and has thrown for 13 touchdowns, and also has one rushing touchdown in that span. He has thrown two or more touchdowns in five consecutive games versus them. The Raiders could put up some points on the board, which could cause the Chiefs to pass. Smith has already attempted 48 or more passes in a game twice this season.

Running Back

Jacquizz Rodgers - Bucs: The Bucs are on bye this week, but when they return from bye, if Doug Martin is still sidelined, Rodgers will get the start. He started on Monday night against the Panthers and ran for 101 yards on 30 carries. He also caught five of his six targets for 28 yards. With Charles Sims on IR, even when Doug Martin returns, Rodgers will have a role on this offense. He displayed his ability in Week 5 to be able to carry a full workload.

James White– Patriots: White caught four of his six targets for 63 yards in Week 5, which is the most receiving yards he has totaled all season. With Tom Brady back under center, White should continue to be more efficient in the passing game. The Patriots face off against the Bengals in Week 6, which bodes for a decent matchup for White. Opposing running backs are averaging 4.6 receptions and 42.6 receiving yards against Cincinnati. White is averaging 4.8 targets game, but saw six in the first game that Brady played in.

Cameron Artis-Payne – Panthers: Artis-Payne received the majority of the carries on Monday night for the Panthers and was efficient. He rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Next up for the Panthers is the New Orleans Saints who are allowing 112.75 rushing yards, seven receptions, and 61.25 receiving yards per game to running backs. They have also yielded nine touchdowns. So long as Jonathan Stewart remains sidelined, Artis-Payne has flex appeal in most formats this week.

Wide Receiver

Jeremy Kerley – 49ers: Kerley has scored a touchdown in back-to-back games and has solidified himself as the 49ers No. 1 receiver. He is averaging nine targets per game and accounts for 30 percent of the 49ers target share. This is an offense that runs a lot of plays, which leads to more opportunities for Kerley. In PPR formats he could be an asset to fantasy owners who are hurting at WR or dealing with byes.
Chris Hogan – Patriots: Hogan caught four of his five targets for 114 yards. The Patriots have a lot of players who can run the short intermediate routes, but Hogan has the ability to stretch the field. He has a solidified role on this offense and should continue to see 5-6 targets per game. This is a Patriots offense that should score a lot of points this season and owning shares of their No. 2 receiver is not a bad idea.

Sammie Coates – Steelers: Coates is thought of as a burner and he is that, but he has also displayed his ability to be consistent this season as he has at least 50 yards in each game. We also saw the big play ability from him in Week 5 against the Jets as he caught a 72 yard pass for a touchdown. Coates is averaging 6.2 targets per game and accounts for 16.1 percent of the Steelers target share. He has established himself as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver and should have a consistent role on this potent offense. Week 6 presents a favorable matchup against a Dolphins defense that allows 174.2 receiving yards per game to receivers and has given up eight touchdowns. Last week I listed Coates as an “others to consider” below, this week I am suggesting that you go get him while you can.

Tight End

Charles Clay – Bills: Clay has caught five passes in each of the last two games and has received 12 targets in that span. He has topped 40 yards in each of those games as well. With the absence of Sammy Watkins, Clay has seen a spike in production and we could continue to see that moving forward. He has a favorable matchup this week against the Niners who are giving up 59.8 receiving yards and have surrendered a couple of touchdowns to tight ends this season. Clay could be helpful during the bye weeks or if you are hurting at the tight end position.